iPhone 5 Rumors: Larger Screen, Metal Back, And It Ain't Coming This June

Just barely six months after the iPhone 4 was released, rumors about the iPhone 5 began making the rounds, fueling up the flame and bringing up the hype for a yet-to-be-announced product that many Apple fans hope will surpass its predecessor.

There's so many iPhone 5 buzz that's been floating around lately that it's leaving a lot of confused people behind in its tracks. Here's a list of the stories that's been making headway in the rumor mills along with their sources to get you up to speed:

The iPhone 5 is coming in Summer 2011..

The folks over at Jazzou contemplate that the iPhone 5 will enjoy a release similar to that of the iPhone 4, which was released at the end of the third quarter last year. Wireless at MSNBC agrees, pointing out that the summer release date is a no-brainer since Apple has been releasing a new iPhone around this period in the past few years.

Or maybe it won't.

Our friends over at 9 to 5 Mac disagree. While the handsets are currently in trial production right now, full production will commence in the third quarter so we may not be seeing the units in retail stores until later in the year. This information was sourced from the China Times, which also claims that the units will be produced by Apple's long-time partner Hon Hai Presicion Industry Co. Techradar pitches in, saying that the delay could be due in part to the recent tragedic earthquake that rocked Japan earlier in March.

It's a phone, it's an iPod, it's also a wallet?

That's right. Rumors brewing over at TechNewsDaily and WebProNews speculate that Apple is working hard to integrate near-field communication (NFC) technology into the iPhone 5, which transforms your phone into a digital wallet. With NFC technology, you will be able to make purchases or transfer funds simply with a wave of your phone.

They've done black and white. Now let's go back to metal.

It's the China Times bringing us this information once again via 9 to 5 Mac. Apple received a hailstorm of complaints regarding scratches on the iPhone 4 and its earlier versions, so now they're going back to the trusty ol' scratch-resistant metal chasis, similar to what the original iPhone was housed in.

Bigger is better. Not always true in life, but true for screens.

Leaked parts obtained by 9 to 5 Mac indicate that the iPhone 5 will be similar in size and form to the iPhone 4; however, it will be featuring a larger touchscreen. Sources from iDealsChina agree, claiming that they were able to obtain the front cover of the phone which, sure enough, showed a much larger screen and a thinner bezel, suggesting that the new iPhones will be sporting a 4-inch screen.

Say what? An iPhone Nano 5 is in the works?

A mini version of the iPhone has been lurking in the background for years and the iPhone 5 is not an exception. And this time, Bloomberg was able to obtain inside information that Apple has indeed been working on a smaller iPhone that was only two-thirds the size of the iPhone 4. But take note, Apple has been known to work with a lot of product and prototypes that don't get released in the end.

Now that's a whole lot of rumors for something that still hasn't even been announced. The smartphone competition is starting to get more fierce as other handsets manufactured to run on the Android OS are growing in both number and popularity. It would be interesting to see what Apple is going to do to regain the ground that it has lost to these Android phones. Only time will tell.

I'm currently an Android guy using the Droid X and I absolutely love it. The only way I would switch to the iPhone 5 is if Apple matches the screen size of the Droid X and supports flash. According to this article, it's possible I'll get my wish with the screen size but I doubt Apple will ever support Flash (to their own detriment I might add).